Overview
- Banerjee did not appear before the Bidhannagar magistrate on July 8 to record court-ordered voice samples for a CID probe into alleged intimidatory remarks.
- He has challenged the lower-court order in the Calcutta High Court, which declined an urgent hearing and scheduled a formal hearing for July 10.
- The High Court previously granted him interim protection from arrest until July 31 on the clear condition that he cooperate with the investigation.
- State prosecutors and CID investigators say the voice samples are essential to forensically verify the speech in the campaign video and have told the court that repeated non-appearances are delaying the probe.
- If Banerjee continues to refuse cooperation the state says it will seek stronger legal measures, a development that could determine whether his interim protection is upheld after the next hearing.